This was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned and Acura ever made. Was beyond a fancy Honda. I can honestly say, I thought Acura was soon to be on par with the German luxury sedans then.
Guess what happened. None of the Japanese did. Lexus did for a bit, but not anymore. Now it’s about who provides the longest reliability. Leave the luxury part to Genesis. Sad how the automotive industry has become the epitome of planned obsolescence.
I think the Japanese brands would have soon been competitive with and possibly beating the German luxury brands if not for Japan's major recession starting in the early 90's that they never really recovered from. They were already so close with cars like the Legend, LS400, Diamante, 3000GT, NSX, Supra, etc. I just can't help but wonder where the Japanese brands would be today if not for their recession.
Awesome review! I currently have a 91 Acura Legend as a daily and I’ve had it for 5 years. These cars are ultra reliable if taken care of the right way
I bought it with a major tune up including head gaskets done. Original engine and transmission. And I don't live in a smog state. I bought it in 2018 with 99k miles and I only have 130k miles on it now. @@DevonDavies-p7f
Lusted after the Legend, budget said No way (!) and I ended up with a 95 Integra GS-R which was pretty cool in its own right - but it was a reminder that if wanted something 'more' I was going to have to wait a few years and a job change lol. At 25, that was probably appropriate.
I’m British, but have an Aunt who lives in California. She had a second gen Legend in the early nineties. When we visited, it was the most luxurious and beautiful smelling car I’d ever been in.
My first nice(if older) car was a '91 Legend Coupe 5-speed that I bought with a little under 100K on the clock in 2007. It was an incredible car that ate up the miles in comfort and style. While I'm more on the Toyota/Lexus side of things, I still have fond memories of that Legend. Truly a wonderful car.
When I was a teen in the 80's, my uncle bought a 1st gen Legend. He always drove nice cars; he had a few Lincoln Continentals before the Acura. At the time, I chided him about buying/driving a "Honda". Then I rode in it and I was reminded why he was able to always buy/drive nice cars and I was still a dumb teenager. It was an amazing car. Needless to say, my immature opinion of Japanese cars changed immediately and in my adulthood I have owned an Acura, a few Hondas, a Toyota, and Mazdas.
Growing up as a Kid in the late 80s and early 90s. Something about Luxury Vehicles back then seemed to be more about Quality over Quantity. My Grandmother still has her 1992 Cadillac Deville, that she bought brand-new. I remember there was a Acura Dealership down the Street from her Cadillac Dealership and seeing the Early 90s Acura's back then.
Different chassis, different engine, different trans, different engine orientation, different suspension, they don't even share the same oil filter like many Hondas; completely different vehicle.
Had a ‘93 Canterbury Green auto sedan from new, finally couldn’t resurrect it after my daughter distractedly drove over a road mill drop into a manhole cover in 2016. Anyhow bought a ‘93 LS 6 speed coupe In Canterbury Green early 2012 so I was able to drive a Legend every day, then replaced the totaled sedan with another Canterbury Green sedan later in 2016. Have 2 of them still! Drove the coupe on a 2,000+ mile road trip earlier this spring. There’s a national gathering of Legends taking place this week In Kentucky. Last year in Wichita, KS and Phoenix, AZ the year before.
What really irked me was that this was longitudinal V6 and Honda chose FWD. Just why? I never truly understood how Honda stayed away from RWD drivetrain except for NSX and S2000.
Bought a 1995 in 2004 (this was my second one and ironically my first one was a 1992) and drove it daily up until about 4 years ago. It still sits in my backyard waiting to be restored or put out of its misery; 400K miles Nothing I've ever driven has the feel and soul of a Gen 2 Acura Legend I actually have some videos on here of it, after I went crazy modifying it...and were some of the best years of my life 💙🌟
Great Vid, but the original Gen. 1 Legend whilst only 2.5 L as you say was enlarged to 2.7 L in that model line prior to the introduction of the Gen. 2 Legends (the one you test) with the completely new 3.2 L engine and larger bodywork.
I remember around 1989 or so when news started to trickle out about the next Acura Legend... the car mags were reporting it would be waaay more upmarket, setting its sights on the S-Class and 7 Series. They were even saying it'd be all-wheel drive and have an available V10.
YES ZACK, FINALLY🙏🙏🙏🙏 my grandmother had a 93 2nd gen 4 door when I was a kid and I will never ever forget how that car felt, despite its flaws I think it’s overall build quality makes up for it.
i owned 3 Acura Legends, 94 GS 6spd, 94 Coupe 6spd LS, 95 Legend L auto, The design is Very Similar to a BMW 733 of late 70s or 1975 Chevy Nova 4dr, The Drivetrain is a Streight Engine Layout Torque Tube Shift to the Front Differential Housed with Oil Pan thats not a Honda Thing more of a 1970s oldsmobile toronado, The Legend is a Big Car by Length 115 inch Wheelbase long than the LS400 112 inch wheelbase, yet drives smaller than it Size
I remember the first time I seen a new one, I was all of 16 and remember thinking how for a boring dad car how absolutely beautiful that car looked. Deep down, I hoped my parents got one 😄 But, be as it was, they instead bought a Buick Century and.........the rest is history. And I ended up loving the Buick! (Although I never drove it much as I had my own vehicles from 15 years old on). Now days as I am getting closer to my 50's, oh how I wish they still made NEW cars like these! Another great vid dude 😎🤜🤛
I got a buddy who has one with a orange wrap on it he had it since we were kids and 5 trans later it’s still kicking on it’s Origional block with one rebuild n still looks good I always wanted a manual coupe black with some bbs wheels on it gold badges .
One thing I found really interesting about the 2nd gen Legend and 3rd gen RL is in both cases they were definitely chasing Euro car buyers. An E38 BMW 7 series looks so similar to the Legend (imagine the split 'kidney' grill isn't split), and the RL is very similar to a mesh of the Mercedes W140 and W124
I loved the Legend so much i bought it twice i had a 93 and then a 95. Eventually the head gasket cracked and i had to sell. Still driving Acura 20 years later and i love my TLX ASpec
Who knows more about the Acura legends than me. Owned one back in 99. The drive quality, smoothness was way better than S class merc, BMW 7 series. Balance and corner body rolls are top notch, was able to turn 90 degrees corner at 40mph without. Has all the tech that most luxury car today begin to have. Heated side mirrors are the most useful during winter. Sold it back in 2007, wish I kept it. 😢
I really wanted this model but never got. But the neighborhood audio enthusiast put t.v screens on sun visors and headrest and a PlayStation in a rear center console with VHS with candy red paint with aftermarket rims and it was the cleanest rides that I ever seen.
The Legend was a great car and it still is today. I have a 1st gen 2001 RL and by all respects, it’s a 3rd gen Legend in everything but the name. Even many of the switches are still the same. Overall, they’re great and pretty underrated cars.
Lol my buddy had Legend very much like this one. He only got it because he couldn't afford BMW but fell in love with it . After some years rust and his insurance finally killed it due to mountain of traffic tickets.
I had a tan one my uncle had gave me.vwry awesome car. All the problems i had was wheel bearing which was fixed and the front bumper repair due to snow mound 😂..awesome awesome car for its time
I had a pearl white 91 Legend definitely one of my favorite cars😍, a buddy of mine had a coupe i believe it was a 94 or 95. Acura needs to bring the Legend back.
Green light? The Legend was the best selling imported luxury model for two generations in the US until they decided the Legend name was too strong because everyone referred to them as Legends and not Acura. So the marketers convinced them to drop the iconic Legend name for the 3rd gen and use "RL". Sales dropped and never recovered but people still love their Legends.
one of the greatest cars, too bad it wasn't a 5- or 6-speed, I believe it came in both. the coupe is the -really- cool one but i'd gladly have a coupe and sedan in my stable. I drove a '92 automatic coupe in to the ground in another life :)
Idk about the Japanese board room but in the American board room I’m sure they were saying “ok the Japanese version Honda is a winner. Let’s put our badges on it.”
When that new design came out.. was from subtle .. there wasnt ANYTHING on the road that looked anything like it..especially coming out of the BOX look era …so YES u DID easily noticed when u saw one.. .. Acura truly dropped the ball after that model and been been grasping at air since 😔
These are definitely NOT underappreciated. Find the car group that scoffs at this model. 🤨 This was not the first Acura success story, either. The Integra GS-R preceded this, and the mere fact that a 2nd generation Legend exists is because of the 1st generation's success. The Acura/Honda NSX is what truly made the Europeans look at the brand seriously.
The chassis and interior was largely a product of British design as Honda and British Leyland had a working agreement. It's a shame the British auto industry collapsed the Japanese collaborations were quite promising.
Wooden center consoles are nice! Folks, instead of all these EV cars, wouldn't it benefit the environment if we bring back the bench seats and remove the center consoles to seat 3 people in the front? People are such sheep for following along the narratives. We lost a lot of great sedans from being produced due to hatchbacks.
One of the actual prettiest cars to roll out of a Honda factory.
I personally think that the NSX was but the legend is nice to.
the sedan is pretty pedestrian imo, coupe is nice
3rd gen TL is up there as well
@@Stefin770👍
Yes
Ludicris still has his Acura legend from high school and he still dailies it as well. I think he put it on one of his album covers if not mistaken.
He had an accident a while back and Acura actually took it to their factory and did a nut and bolt restoration for him. It was presented at SEMA 2015
@@dhillaz yeah I saw that
This was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned and Acura ever made. Was beyond a fancy Honda. I can honestly say, I thought Acura was soon to be on par with the German luxury sedans then.
Guess what happened.
None of the Japanese did.
Lexus did for a bit, but not anymore. Now it’s about who provides the longest reliability.
Leave the luxury part to Genesis.
Sad how the automotive industry has become the epitome of planned obsolescence.
I think the Japanese brands would have soon been competitive with and possibly beating the German luxury brands if not for Japan's major recession starting in the early 90's that they never really recovered from. They were already so close with cars like the Legend, LS400, Diamante, 3000GT, NSX, Supra, etc. I just can't help but wonder where the Japanese brands would be today if not for their recession.
Acura Legend Coupes came with a 6 speed manual transmission as well. It's pretty rare, but it's available.
Don't forget the probably even more rare GS 4dr 6 speed.
In 93, along with 30 more horsepower because of the VIS in the Type 2 motor
When I was a little kid these were one of my favorite cars, I don't know why, have a soft spot for them.
Ludacris still has his to this day. I remember first seeing it on MTV cribs and on his album cover a few years ago
Ludacris owns a 93 legend which he owns to this day with over 250k miles
These things still look good til this day
“Legends never die.”
Awesome review! I currently have a 91 Acura Legend as a daily and I’ve had it for 5 years. These cars are ultra reliable if taken care of the right way
Have you had to replace the engine or transmission or just regular maintenance and any issues with smog?
I bought it with a major tune up including head gaskets done. Original engine and transmission. And I don't live in a smog state. I bought it in 2018 with 99k miles and I only have 130k miles on it now. @@DevonDavies-p7f
My mom had the white 92 Legend during the 90’s. I remember quite well being ushered around in this vehicle as a kid.
Lusted after the Legend, budget said No way (!) and I ended up with a 95 Integra GS-R which was pretty cool in its own right - but it was a reminder that if wanted something 'more' I was going to have to wait a few years and a job change lol. At 25, that was probably appropriate.
The 2nd-gen legend sedans have a wonderfully timeless exterior. I also love the genuine burl walnut wood trim in the Legend LS.
I’m British, but have an Aunt who lives in California. She had a second gen Legend in the early nineties. When we visited, it was the most luxurious and beautiful smelling car I’d ever been in.
My first nice(if older) car was a '91 Legend Coupe 5-speed that I bought with a little under 100K on the clock in 2007. It was an incredible car that ate up the miles in comfort and style. While I'm more on the Toyota/Lexus side of things, I still have fond memories of that Legend. Truly a wonderful car.
Imagine if this was V8 and RWD, it would have been a game changer!!
I'd still love to own one today. Aside from the lack of RWD, this is a legit luxury car as good as any contemporary or better.
When I was a teen in the 80's, my uncle bought a 1st gen Legend. He always drove nice cars; he had a few Lincoln Continentals before the Acura. At the time, I chided him about buying/driving a "Honda". Then I rode in it and I was reminded why he was able to always buy/drive nice cars and I was still a dumb teenager. It was an amazing car. Needless to say, my immature opinion of Japanese cars changed immediately and in my adulthood I have owned an Acura, a few Hondas, a Toyota, and Mazdas.
Growing up as a Kid in the late 80s and early 90s. Something about Luxury Vehicles back then seemed to be more about Quality over Quantity. My Grandmother still has her 1992 Cadillac Deville, that she bought brand-new. I remember there was a Acura Dealership down the Street from her Cadillac Dealership and seeing the Early 90s Acura's back then.
What a great car. The Legend's a legend!
These are still sought-after today. Not bad for a nice Accord. The 90s may have been peak Honda.
completely different than an Accord Accord didnt get the v6 till much later.
The Vigor was way more similar to the Accord than this.
Different chassis, different engine, different trans, different engine orientation, different suspension, they don't even share the same oil filter like many Hondas; completely different vehicle.
Manual coupes are the absolute best version of these
Love this car's design! I love how all ur reviews manage to cover all the "cool" kinda cars imo!
This was the must have car on the East Coast! Super popular car! They were also in all the hip hop videos and drug dealers loved them!
2nd generation (ka7) was really a true legend.
Awesome car. Owned a coupe 6-Speed Manual for 17 years
Had a ‘93 Canterbury Green auto sedan from new, finally couldn’t resurrect it after my daughter distractedly drove over a road mill drop into a manhole cover in 2016. Anyhow bought a ‘93 LS 6 speed coupe In Canterbury Green early 2012 so I was able to drive a Legend every day, then replaced the totaled sedan with another Canterbury Green sedan later in 2016. Have 2 of them still! Drove the coupe on a 2,000+ mile road trip earlier this spring. There’s a national gathering of Legends taking place this week In Kentucky. Last year in Wichita, KS and Phoenix, AZ the year before.
Have you had to replace the engine or transmission or just regular maintenance?
No, just a lot of Legendary maintenance
I’ve always loved these! These did have common head gasket failures tho.
What really irked me was that this was longitudinal V6 and Honda chose FWD. Just why?
I never truly understood how Honda stayed away from RWD drivetrain except for NSX and S2000.
even with the Nsx it was a transverse mid engine rwd 😤
i love honda but they make the oddest calls
Bought a 1995 in 2004 (this was my second one and ironically my first one was a 1992) and drove it daily up until about 4 years ago.
It still sits in my backyard waiting to be restored or put out of its misery; 400K miles
Nothing I've ever driven has the feel and soul of a Gen 2 Acura Legend
I actually have some videos on here of it, after I went crazy modifying it...and were some of the best years of my life 💙🌟
The owner of the company I worked had one of these….such a great looking car
Great Vid, but the original Gen. 1 Legend whilst only 2.5 L as you say was enlarged to 2.7 L in that model line prior to the introduction of the Gen. 2 Legends (the one you test) with the completely new 3.2 L engine and larger bodywork.
I currently own 2 of these babies both 91 Ls sedan auto and a 5 speed manual coupe.
Do you daily drive either? and how are you finding parts availability?
Zach, do an review on a 1992 Acura Vigor if you can find one. Thats the birth of the TL and one of my favorite Acuras.
No Legend started "TL" The Legend.
I remember around 1989 or so when news started to trickle out about the next Acura Legend... the car mags were reporting it would be waaay more upmarket, setting its sights on the S-Class and 7 Series. They were even saying it'd be all-wheel drive and have an available V10.
YES ZACK, FINALLY🙏🙏🙏🙏 my grandmother had a 93 2nd gen 4 door when I was a kid and I will never ever forget how that car felt, despite its flaws I think it’s overall build quality makes up for it.
Where was this kept? Geez, it’s soooo clean. Wow
I miss my green 1995 legend ls 4dr😢. Should have never sold it 😢
i owned 3 Acura Legends, 94 GS 6spd, 94 Coupe 6spd LS, 95 Legend L auto, The design is Very Similar to a BMW 733 of late 70s or 1975 Chevy Nova 4dr, The Drivetrain is a Streight Engine Layout Torque Tube Shift to the Front Differential Housed with Oil Pan thats not a Honda Thing more of a 1970s oldsmobile toronado, The Legend is a Big Car by Length 115 inch Wheelbase long than the LS400 112 inch wheelbase, yet drives smaller than it Size
I remember the first time I seen a new one, I was all of 16 and remember thinking how for a boring dad car how absolutely beautiful that car looked. Deep down, I hoped my parents got one 😄
But, be as it was, they instead bought a Buick Century and.........the rest is history. And I ended up loving the Buick! (Although I never drove it much as I had my own vehicles from 15 years old on).
Now days as I am getting closer to my 50's, oh how I wish they still made NEW cars like these!
Another great vid dude 😎🤜🤛
I think it’s a very nice looking sedan
The bottle test for cupholders is stupid. They are called cupholders, not bottleholders.
Thank you Chace 10:55
💪🏿💪🏿💪🏿
I got a buddy who has one with a orange wrap on it he had it since we were kids and 5 trans later it’s still kicking on it’s Origional block with one rebuild n still looks good I always wanted a manual coupe black with some bbs wheels on it gold badges .
I’d love a six speed manual coupe, or a CL Type S with the manual
One thing I found really interesting about the 2nd gen Legend and 3rd gen RL is in both cases they were definitely chasing Euro car buyers. An E38 BMW 7 series looks so similar to the Legend (imagine the split 'kidney' grill isn't split), and the RL is very similar to a mesh of the Mercedes W140 and W124
I really loved this particular video. This one hit close to me ❤❤❤
I loved the Legend so much i bought it twice i had a 93 and then a 95. Eventually the head gasket cracked and i had to sell. Still driving Acura 20 years later and i love my TLX ASpec
The padded vinyl headliner was present in every 90s Honda product. It was superior to cloth as I've never seen one falling or sagging.
One of my favorite cars of all time is the second-gen Legend.
This was truly a great review.
Who knows more about the Acura legends than me. Owned one back in 99. The drive quality, smoothness was way better than S class merc, BMW 7 series. Balance and corner body rolls are top notch, was able to turn 90 degrees corner at 40mph without. Has all the tech that most luxury car today begin to have. Heated side mirrors are the most useful during winter.
Sold it back in 2007, wish I kept it. 😢
I really wanted this model but never got. But the neighborhood audio enthusiast put t.v screens on sun visors and headrest and a PlayStation in a rear center console with VHS with candy red paint with aftermarket rims and it was the cleanest rides that I ever seen.
The Legend was a great car and it still is today. I have a 1st gen 2001 RL and by all respects, it’s a 3rd gen Legend in everything but the name. Even many of the switches are still the same. Overall, they’re great and pretty underrated cars.
It absolutely is being that it's called the 3rd gen Honda Legend in Japan
So true about the leather seats. Those old leather seats feel so much better than whatever it is they call leather now.
They picked the right name for this car! Loved this generation of Legend
Are these forgotten? That means I’m old hahaha. These were the shit back in the day.
Stunning then, stunning now
Agreed - an under appreciated luxury car. This is the predecessor to the Acura 3.2TL
The vigor is the TL , 3.5RL is the Replacement Legend
I had a 92 white for 5 years loved it so comfortable 😍
Lol my buddy had Legend very much like this one. He only got it because he couldn't afford BMW but fell in love with it . After some years rust and his insurance finally killed it due to mountain of traffic tickets.
The RL swaps on these turn them into a beast wearing a tuxedo
old blaupunkt radios from the late 80s have some good play though
I had a tan one my uncle had gave me.vwry awesome car. All the problems i had was wheel bearing which was fixed and the front bumper repair due to snow mound 😂..awesome awesome car for its time
I had a pearl white 91 Legend definitely one of my favorite cars😍, a buddy of mine had a coupe i believe it was a 94 or 95. Acura needs to bring the Legend back.
Green light? The Legend was the best selling imported luxury model for two generations in the US until they decided the Legend name was too strong because everyone referred to them as Legends and not Acura. So the marketers convinced them to drop the iconic Legend name for the 3rd gen and use "RL". Sales dropped and never recovered but people still love their Legends.
Popular saying 30 years ago was::: A hero ain't nothing but a sandwich and legend is only a car....
one of the greatest cars, too bad it wasn't a 5- or 6-speed, I believe it came in both. the coupe is the -really- cool one but i'd gladly have a coupe and sedan in my stable. I drove a '92 automatic coupe in to the ground in another life :)
Greatest car ever. I’ve owned 2. Wish i had one now.
Idk about the Japanese board room but in the American board room I’m sure they were saying “ok the Japanese version Honda is a winner. Let’s put our badges on it.”
2nd Gen Legend coupe was a beautiful car, but that platform should been rwd and possibly a v8 option!
My very first time looking in this legend although it’s from my era. Those were the fineness rides
When that new design came out.. was from subtle .. there wasnt ANYTHING on the road that looked anything like it..especially coming out of the BOX look era …so YES u DID easily noticed when u saw one.. .. Acura truly dropped the ball after that model and been been grasping at air since 😔
Outside North America is was named Honda Legend. It didn't do well against the German competition.
"I keep this car right in the sweet spot when driving, at 55."
"5500 rpm?"
"No, 55 mph."
7:07 _ The view here looks like you did some donutes before showing it's looks! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
These are definitely NOT underappreciated. Find the car group that scoffs at this model. 🤨
This was not the first Acura success story, either. The Integra GS-R preceded this, and the mere fact that a 2nd generation Legend exists is because of the 1st generation's success. The Acura/Honda NSX is what truly made the Europeans look at the brand seriously.
In Newark New Jersey we called it a big boy back in the day🤣🤣🤣 police wasn't catching it unless u crashed🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I don't see these cars anymore.
The chassis and interior was largely a product of British design as Honda and British Leyland had a working agreement. It's a shame the British auto industry collapsed the Japanese collaborations were quite promising.
Nice car. I'd rather have it than most new cars.
Pls review the Sterling cars pls
Best Legend/RL ever...
Seats suck because journalists complained about “lack of support in cornering”. Just give us our couches back, we don’t have corners in North America
“We don’t have corners in North America”
Same reason we have muscle cars.
Under appreciated? 😂 This was one of the most desired and admired car of the 90s. Every housewife knew what the Legend was.
My uncle used to have an Acura legend.
As seen in streets of Rage 2
Great car, great 👍 review it's a true classic. I have the coupe and I love it.
The designers just elongated some lines, otherwise it looks just like an Accord of that era.
Ludacris the rapper dude ftom fast and the furious still owns his first cat which is this but a 94 with somr new clean upgrades
I had 4 or 5 of these
7:50 iconic acura? heh heh my subaru loyale has hubcaps that are identical
These are neat
It's the LUDACRIS car!
Those were nice.
Nissan Sentra in the next video?
SHARPE ACURA LEGEND SEDAN 1992 1993 😮😮😮😮😮😮
Wooden center consoles are nice!
Folks, instead of all these EV cars, wouldn't it benefit the environment if we bring back the bench seats and remove the center consoles to seat 3 people in the front?
People are such sheep for following along the narratives. We lost a lot of great sedans from being produced due to hatchbacks.
We need to make seats great again! The seats in new cars are horrible in 2024! So cheap and no leather. BOOOOOO
Like ur review
So if there so reliable why the fuck is everyone tripping about head gasket issues?